Original Research Article: (2021), «EUREKA: Social and Humanities» full paper Number 3 THE DEVELOPMENT TRENDS AND FEATURES OF ONLINE NEWS WEBSITES IN BANGLADESH Abdul Kabil Khan Department of Media Studies and Journalism University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh House 56, Rd, 4/A Satmasjid Road, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 1209 [email protected] Anna Shnaider Department of Tourism & Hospitality Management Baltic International Academy 4 Lomonosova str., Riga, Latvia, LV-1003 [email protected] Abstract This article refers to the brief history of the development of online media in Bangladesh starting from the beginnings of the Internet to the contemporary stage. Since 2006 Bangladeshi news organizations have been reshaping their strategy towards being a digital-only news outlet. News organizations are now using different features of mobile devices and social media to tell stories and engage with their target audiences. Today both the digital-only news outlets and mainstream media use QR codes, messengers, social media platforms, which enable them to reach a wider area of audiences. By using yet inexpensive digital tools journalists can easily create and distribute content for digital-only platforms. We consider digital-only platforms as new media, social media, and convergence media platforms. Social media platforms have provided the opportunity for traditional journalists to share news quickly, get feedback from the audience, and have two-way communication with the reader. Previous studies have looked at the genres of online journalism from a western perspective. Little has been done on the topic from the context of Bangladesh. In this article, we analyze the basic features of online news media that exist in contemporary Bangladesh and provide an ac- count of the development trends. We outline the new genres, techniques, and use as a sample two most famous online news platforms: The Daily Star and bdnews24. A series of semi-structured interviews were conducted with 5 different professionals from Journalism and mass media. This study is based on both primary and secondary sources of qualitative data to understand the new genres of online news media, challenges, and opportunities to work in the ever-changing media landscape. Keywords: new media, digital media, technologies, Bangladesh, online newspapers, social media, online media, Proth- om-Alo, The Daily Star, bdnews24. DOI: 10.21303/2504-5571.2021.001858 1. Introduction The era of traditional media has passed and we are now in the age of “digital” media, which is commonly known as “new media”. New media technologies have created cross-media platforms that allow journalists to collaborate in preparing stories and materials for various media. Today, the same content is distributed across multiple platforms: newspapers and magazines, websites, mobile apps, messengers, social media. The technology has a specific angle to use in the field of journalism. What everyone in journalism needs to understand about the technology from collecting information, processing, editing and distributing is made possible by the Internet, web, and mobile technologies [1]. According to Fahmidul Haq, new technology has always influenced and sometimes brought changes to the mode of production and patterns of journalism [2]. Journalism has always been shaped by technology [3]. A determinist view may prioritise technology, such as platforms and de- vices, over the user experience or the need to produce high-quality content that follows journalism traditions. The reality is we must consider how people consume, share and interact with media in their day-to-day lives [4]. Researchers mentioned the fourth kind of journalism, online journalism, 41 Social Sciences Original Research Article: (2021), «EUREKA: Social and Humanities» full paper Number 3 which differs in its characteristics from traditional types early back in 1999. [5] Earlier, in 1996, Dahlgren, mentioned: “The advent of cyberspace will inevitably impact on the factors which shape how journalism gets done – and may well even colour how we define what journalism is” [6]. So what is the effect of Internet and digital technology on mass media? It occurs at least in 3 catego- ries: the dynamics of news and information generation, the professional practices and skills that are necessary to survive and prosper in the new environment, and the situation of traditional media [7]. Bangladesh, a country in South Asia, which is one of the most densely populated countries in the world having more than 160 million people. The number of Internet users continues to grow here and people are becoming more interested in visualization and interactivity. In recent years, Bangladesh has seen a phenomenal increase in Internet use. According to the BTRC, the total number of Mobile Phone subscribers has reached 171.854 Million at the end of January, 2021. About 97 % of the total number of Internet users in Bangladesh use mobile devices to access the network, as confirmed by a recent survey, conducted by the government. According to the BTRC, 103.191 million users have access to the mobile Internet [8]. Today news consumers move frictionlessly between different platforms for daily news at different times of the day. Many local Bangladeshi media companies are adopting digital-first approach, making content for website, mobile and social media. Users prefer accessing media con- tent on-demand. The assistant professor from the media studies and journalism department of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh Dr. Sarkar Barbaq Quarmal says: “Like other parts of the globe, increased and easier Internet access has made a significant change in the Bangladeshi media landscape; all media outlets are moving towards digitalization. All major newspapers have online news portals and maintain Facebook and Twitter pages; TV channels follow a similar trend and stream live through YouTube channels and/or their own web- sites. Even many newspapers published from small towns have online news portals” [9]. All these processes of transformation of the media sphere are affecting further development of the Internet media. Traditional media, such as radio, newspapers, and even television, are becoming less popular, and opposite new media platforms are becoming more multifunctional. In a competitive market, traditional media is forced to use integration in their work, an unification of at least two plat- forms – print and Internet version, or produce the content only for digital platforms [10]. According to P. J. Voszkowski, in the context of digital journalism, the organization of the work of media editorial offices has changed a lot. The world’s major online media have created so-called “converged newsrooms”, which has allowed media workers to quickly create journalistic material simultaneously for different platforms. Unlike traditional media, online journalism has a non-linear approach to news. All these features change the functions of not only the journalists but also consumers of information. Today, the production of news materials in a number of cases has gone out of the control of professional journalists. At the same time, after reading the materials on the sites, the users of the Internet media are able to publish their opinions in real-time and also have the opportunity to prepare information materials for the media [11]. Political stability in Bangladesh contributed to the development of various types of media, like online shopping platforms, new media news websites and other government platforms for citi- zens. The state today considers information and communication technologies (ICT) as key factors in the country’s socio-economic development. After the Awami League, the current ruling party came to power in 2008, the government was faced with the task of putting Bangladesh among the countries with an average standard of living by 2021 and significantly reducing poverty. An “electronic government” was created with the aim of using and introducing modern information technologies, wide access for residents and regional authorities to receive public services, which stimulates the country’s social and economic development. Information centers of “electronic government” have been created in all regions, where residents can receive electronic services they need at their place of residence free of charge. The government pays special attention to the Digital Bangladesh program, which provided an op- portunity for state and commercial structures, educational institutions, scientists, and everyone in- terested in owning information, to make maximum use of modern technologies in their profession- al activities, which will ultimately contribute to improving the daily life of the population country. 42 Social Sciences Original Research Article: (2021), «EUREKA: Social and Humanities» full paper Number 3 The most important event in the development of information technology was the adoption of the “Information and Communication Technologies 2009” law [12] by the Parliament of Bangla- desh, which clearly defines the basic principles of the digital state in Bangladesh. Since 2012, the Government of Bangladesh annually organizes in Dhaka international con- ferences “Digital World”, where the main attention is paid to the introduction of technology and knowledge, focused on economic growth, both in Bangladesh and other Asian countries. All this today has a great impact on various spheres of the country’s life, and also gives a new impetus to the development of modern journalism and the production